1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image using developer, a developing unit included in this image forming apparatus, and a method of collecting developer of the developing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus for forming an image using developer including toner for example forms an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductive drum as an image carrier, develops the static image in a developing unit, transfer a toner image obtained onto a paper sheet in a transfer unit, and fix the image on the paper sheet in a fixing unit.
There is a known image forming apparatus, which has a toner-collecting device for collecting the toner scattered when being supplied from a developing unit to a photoconductive drum.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 5-303312 discloses a toner-collecting unit, which is provided in a cleaning unit, and has an elastic collecting blade 6 composed of elastic thin plate such as Mylar and touched to a collecting roller having a polygonal cross section (paragraph 0016).
If a relatively hard material such as Mylar is used for an elastic collecting blade, the force of the elastic collecting blade to return to the original state is too strong, and causes adhesion of scattered toner to a photoconductive drum. The adhesion of scattered toner to a photoconductive drum causes a defective image.